Tokyo to dole out money directly to Henoko area communities

The Japanese Government held a meeting at the office of the Prime Minister on Oct. 26th, to discuss regional development with representatives from “The three regions of Kube,” which consist of Henoko, Toyohara and Kushi in Nago City near the planned relocation site for MCAS Futenma.

The national government expressed its plan to outlay promotion funds directly to these areas bypassing the Okinawa Prefectural Government and Nago City Government, which are opposing the new base construction.

Although no details or framework for such outlays were presented, including the amount of the grants or a time when the payments would commence, the national government is believed to start the program as early as this fiscal year, and give the regions a grant of ¥10 million each.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and top senior officials of the Ministry of Defense and Cabinet Office participated in the meeting. Ward mayors and administrative commissioners of the three regions of Henoko, Toyohara and Kushi attended the meeting from Okinawa.